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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bore — to drill
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. ground — a position
  10. tube — a container
  11. pitch — completely
  12. sharp — clever
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bound — tied together
  15. degree — temperature
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bound — certain
  20. root — of a word
  21. degree — an amount
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. degree — from a university
  24. root — the cause

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com